<LI>Attendance at the various sessions ranged from a dozen to almost 150 persons.</LI>

<LI>Attendance at the various sessions ranged from a dozen to almost 150 persons.</LI>

</UL>

</UL>

−

<LI>At least two more "Law for Indiana Librarians" events are planned for next spring, one at the District Four Conference (Northeastern Indiana) and a updated, repeat performance of last year's session at the District One Conference (Northwestern Indiana).</LI>

+

<LI>Doug led two "Law for Indiana Librarians" events at ILF District Conferences, one at the District Four Conference (Northeastern Indiana) with approximately 35 attendees on April 24 in Albion and an updated, repeat performance of last year's session at the District One Conference (Northwestern Indiana) with approximately 25 attendees in South Bend, on April 22.</LI>

</UL>

</UL>

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<b>Rhode Island</b>

<b>Rhode Island</b>

+

Carla Weiss wrote article on Law for Librarians in the Rhode Island Library Association's RILA Bulletin. (http://www.uri.edu/library/rila/SUMMERBULL.pdf)

Carla Weiss wrote article on Law for Librarians in the Rhode Island Library Association's RILA Bulletin. (http://www.uri.edu/library/rila/SUMMERBULL.pdf)

−

The HELIN Consortium Access Services Committee will be sponsoring a workshop entitled “Privacy and Confidentiality in the Library” from 9am – noon on Friday, March 23, 2007 to be held at Bryant University in the library – Room 102. Our speakers will be Carla Weiss, Reference Librarian/Collection Development Coordinator at RIC and Jim Teliha, Head of Access Services at URI.

+

The HELIN Consortium Access Services Committee sponsored a workshop entitled “Privacy and Confidentiality in the Library” on March 23, 2007 held at Bryant University Library. The speakers were Carla Weiss, Rhode Island College, and Jim Teliha, University of Rhode Island, both members of the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Rhode Island Library Association.

−

The workshop will address the issues of patron privacy and the confidentiality of electronic records in libraries today. They will discuss creating guidelines to develop library privacy policies, conducting a privacy audit, the state and local laws that can impact a library privacy policy, records management and retention, and internal guidelines for responding to law enforcement inquiries. There will be a discussion on how to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of shared records within the HELIN Consortium and InRhode by identifying those Innovative policies that violate these principles.

The Intellectual Freedom Committee is sponsoring a program for the Association's annual conference, June 5-6, 2008: "New Rules for New Spaces: Intellectual Freedom in the Age of Social Software," which will be presented by Jessamyn West, Randolph (Vermont) Tech Career Center.

+

+

The Intellectual Freedom Committee plans to publish in 2008 the 6th edition of the Intellectual Freedom Handbook for the Rhode Island Library Association.

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<b>Tennessee</b>

<b>Tennessee</b>

−

'''Up for the Challenge: Be Prepared at Your School Library/Media Center''' Program held at the annual conference of the Tennessee Association of School Librarians on November 3, 2006. Covered practical information useful in dealing with library materials challenges in schools, policies and reconsideration forms, including a discussion of the Intellectual Freedom issues and case law that support our freedom to read. Presented by Carrie Gardner from American Library Association. Sponsored by the Tennessee Library Association.

+

November 3, 2006. "Up for the Challenge: Be Prepared at Your School Library/Media Center" Program held at the annual conference of the Tennessee Association of School Librarians on November 3, 2006. Covered practical information useful in dealing with library materials challenges in schools, policies and reconsideration forms, including a discussion of the Intellectual Freedom issues and case law that support our freedom to read. Presented by Dr.Carrie Gardner, Assistant Professor, Catholic University of America. Sponsored by the Tennessee Library Association.

+

<b>Texas</b>

<b>Texas</b>

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<b>Washington</b>

<b>Washington</b>

+

WLA Annual Conference, April 18-21, 2007

WLA Annual Conference, April 18-21, 2007

−

April 18: Pre-Conference, "Power to the People: Preserving Open Government" ''The pre-conference will bring together librarians, archivists and journalists to discuss open government issues, focusing on access to federal and state documents. Editors from The Spokesman-Review and Tri-Cities Herald will give their perspectives on the use of government information with examples drawn from recent investigations. The Washington State Archivist and the Electronic Documents Librarian from the Washing ton State Library will detail efforts to capture and to preserve Washington State documents.'' April 19: "Intellectual Freedom Challenges: Stories from the Frontlines" ''A public library director and a school librarian describe what it was like to deal with a major challenge over an issue of access in their own libraries. Bruce Ziegman and Eve Datisman describe the issues that were raised, tactics and pressures used in efforts to limit access, and librariansâ€™ responses, including lessons learned during the process.''

+

+

April 19: "Intellectual Freedom Challenges: Stories from the Frontlines" ''A public library director and a school librarian describe what it was like to deal with a major challenge over an issue of access in their own libraries. Bruce Ziegman and Eve Datisman describe the issues that were raised, tactics and pressures used in efforts to limit access, and librarian responses, including lessons learned during the process.''

+

+

April 20: "Net Neutrality" Jonathan Franklin (attorney, University of Washington law librarian, and Law for Librarians participant) presented an overview of net neutrality--what it means, why it's important to understand it, and how it can affect libraries and the issue of intellectual freedom.

+

+

+

Catherine Lord has presented the following workshops for library staff and board members in Washington state:

+

+

- 'Intellectual Freedom: Responding to Challenges' for: King County Library System on November 24, 2006, March 2, 2007

+

+

- 'Defending Access with Confidence' all-day training for: Kitsap Regional Library System, spring and summer each year in 2006, 2007, and planned for 2008; King County Library System on November 8, 2007

+

+

- 'Intellectual Freedom in Public Libraries' for Puyallup Library Board members in spring of 2007

+

+

- 'Defending Access with Confidence: History, Philosophy and Policies' for Pierce County Library, January 18, 2008 and February 29 2008 (two half-day sessions each day)

+

+

In addition, Catherine is now co-teaching her third 'Intellectual Freedom' course at the University of Washington I-School with Angelina Benedetti, Manager of Collection Services at King County Library System. Catherine and Angie have taught library school students in both traditional classroom formats and in distance education format.

+

<b>West Virginia</b>

<b>West Virginia</b>

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Developed new Intellectual Freedom Round Table web pages, with links to ALA and state of Wisconsin resources.

Developed new Intellectual Freedom Round Table web pages, with links to ALA and state of Wisconsin resources.

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October 16, 2007: Half-day Preconference featuring Judith Krug, plus time for facilitated discussion round tables. She will also present a program on Wednesday, October 17 on breaking news in IF.

+

October 16, 2007: Half-day Preconference featuring Judith Krug, plus time for facilitated discussion round tables. About 30 registered for the pre-conference. Judith also presened a program on Wednesday, October 17 on breaking news in IF.

+

+

Plans for the 2008 conference are just getting underway, but the Intellectual Freedom Round Table of WLA always plans a few programs on current IF issues. Privacy could be a big one to cover this year, given the changes in the state statutes relating to disclosure of library records in publicly funded libraries. Another bill related to disclosure of records was set to be introduced in this legislative session, but it probably will be on hold until the next session.

<b>Wyoming</b>

<b>Wyoming</b>

Latest revision as of 16:36, 9 September 2008

Law for Librarians

The Law for Librarians wiki is for use by attendees of the April, 2006 Law for Librarians seminar. Representatives from ALA state and regional chapters agreed to be responsible for two trainings in their home states, and the wiki is for sharing information about the related activities they're engaged in.

State-by-state activity listing

STATE CHAPTERS

Alabama

The Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Alabama Library Association is planning a program for the state association's annual conference, to be held in Birmingham, April 22-25. The title of the IF Committee's program is "When the Feds Show Up, Is Your Library Under the Umbrella of Protection?: Has privacy lost out to national security?". The program description reads: "Librarians, administrators, trustees and others will learn how the U.S. Patriot Act can affect daily life in the library. National Security Letters will also be defined. Guidelines will be provided on what to do should federal law enforcement visit the library. The Honorable U.W. Clemon, U.S. District Judge, will be the presenter. Come and learn. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers."

Alaska

At the Alaska Library Association conference in February, we had a half-day preconferece to cover a very condensed version of our training last April. Candy Morgan and I discussed 1st Amendment and public fora, plus privacy and law enforcement in libraries. Our audience of eight folks ranged from the fully-credentialed law librarian in Anchorage to a young woman with no formal training from Egegik, population about 125.

Arizona

Amber Mathewson and Rich DiRusso presented Ensuring Access Intellectual Freedom Training sessions on 11/29/07 and 12/04/07. The first session was presented to the MTLOC21 (Mentoring Librarians of the Century 2001) which is a group of Pima County Public Library employees who are also attending the University of Arizona SIRLS (School of Information, Resources and Library Science). The second session was for new and Librarians and Library Associates the Pima County Public Library System as Part of the Reference University training sessions. The training was based on materials from a training session by the same name from Mary Ross of Seattle Public Library and materials introduced at the Law for Librarians Conference.

November 14, 2006--Delaware Division of Libraries, Dover, DE
9:00am-4:00pm

"Intellectual Freedom Workshop" for public libraries

District of Columbia

Florida

Article published in Florida Libraries "Challenging Censorship in Miami-Dade County" regarding the controversial removal of the children's book Vamos a Cuba by the Miami-County School Board.

Presentations and Workshops planned for the Florida Library Information Network (SEFLIN & NEFLIN) in various public and academic libraries. Plans to work with the State Librarian on an IF program is also "in the works!"

The IFC and the GLBT of the Florida Library Association will co-sponsor a program at their Annual Conference in Orlando in April, 2007. Lesléa Newman, author of the controversial Heather Has Two Mommies, will give a presentation on why she wrote the book, the difficulties she had getting the book published, and some of the controversies it has caused. A video detailing what happened to a library in Texas when the book was challenged will be presented.

Georgia

Hawai'i

April 26, 2006. Pearl City, Hawaii. "Petitions and the Library as a Public Forum" = presentation at the Oahu Managers' (public librarians) Meeting. Attendance: 36. No formal evaluation, but the handouts shared at similar meetings on the other islands generated a couple of phone calls/consultations.

Nov. 11, 2006. Waikiki Beach Marriott Hotel. Hawaii Library Association Annual Conference. "What To Do When the Censor Comes." Attendance: 17. Although smaller than the earlier workshop, this audience was more varied with representatives from small private schools, public schools, college and university, as well as public libraries.

Jan. 3, 2007. Pearl City, Hawaii. "What To Do When the Censor Comes." Attendance: 37. Adapted the general presentation from Nov. 11 to this audience of public library managers. Added specific documents such as the Hawaii State Public Library System Collection Development Guidelines.

Mar. 7, 2007. Pearl City, Hawaii. "What To Do When the Censor Comes." Attendance: 22. At a statewide meeting of young adult specialists from public libraries, the presentation given on Jan. 3 was modified slightly for this audience, discussing recent complaints such as those on manga and graphic novels.

Mar. 16, 2007. Liliha Public Library, Honolulu. "What To Do When the Censor Comes." Attendance: 29. This presentation was at a statewide meeting of children's librarians. There was much audience interaction as participants brought up recent challenges from their islands and how the customer concerns were answered.

Idaho

November 9, 2007. The Idaho Library Association approved guidelines for the creation of an Intellectual Freedom Fund (IFF). Money raised at the annual Intellectual Freedom Auction will support the IFF. ILA members and member libraries can apply to the IFF to receive a grant of up to $250 for initiatives increasing intellectual freedom awareness and/or promoting freedom of access to information.

October 3-5, 2007. Idaho Library Association Annual Conference. Azam Houle (Youth Services Librarian, Boise Public Library) delivered the presentation, "Dare to Read!" Azam discussed censorship and her own experiences growing up in Iran under the Shah's regime, where reading the wrong book could find you in jail for 15 years. The presentation also included role playing between a librarian and an "angry patron" wanting a book removed from the collection.

Also, Michael Greenlee led an Intellectual Freedom Roundtable discussion. Topics included the use (and abuse) of national security letters, current book challenges in Idaho, and the use of library meeting rooms by religious organizations for services.

October 4-6, 2006. Idaho Library Association Annual Conference. Presentation on "Dealing with Materials Challenges." Attendance: 27. Handouts included a thick packet of information, including materials received at Law for Librarians. Also, preceding the annual Intellectual Freedom Auction, two librarians from the Nampa Public Library gave a short presentation on a recent book challenge concerning "The Joy of Gay Sex."

Illinois

In 2007, the ILA Intellectual Freedom committee gave 7 programs in each of 7 multi-type library systems on March 9, 22, 29, April 12, May 1, 10, and 17 with a total of 139 people attending. These programs were given by pairs of Intellectual Freedom Committee members and focused on Defending Access with Confidence by Catherine Lord. On February 23, two committee members will present the same program to the ILA Trustee Forum. The committee arranges 1 to 3 programs for each annual conference.

Indiana

Edie Huffman, representing the Indiana Library Federation's (ILF) Intellectual Freedom Committee, made a presentation to the Knox County Public Library and Knox County League of Women Voter's jointly sponsored Public Issues Forum on balancing intellectual freedom and homeland security (audience of approximately 30 people).

Doug Archer coordinated three presentations at the Indiana Library Federation District 1 Fall Conference in South Bend, IN on October 3, 2006. Attendance varied from 25 to 45 throughout the three sessions. Presenters were Marilyn Irwin, Associate Dean, School of Library & Information Science, Indiana University, Indianapolis and member of the ILF Intellectual Freedom Committee; Rosanne Cordell, Head of Reference, Schurz Library, Indiana University South Bend and Chair, ALA Intellectual Freedom Round Table and Doug Archer, University of Notre Dame.

Law for Librarians: Overview.
Basic constitutional principles and case law behind intellectual freedom and the freedom to read, view and listen to what we choose in America’s libraries. Presented by non-lawyers for non-lawyers.

Law for Librarians: Use of Your Meeting Room.
Just who can legally use our library’s meeting rooms and exhibit spaces? What kind of policies do we need? What’s legal and what’s not?

Law for Librarians: Youth Access.
Are there special legal considerations for serving youth and if so what are they? Does intellectual freedom really apply to everyone?

Law for Librarians: Part Two.
Doug led a follow up session at the Spring District 1 Conference at Valparaiso University on Tuesday, March 13 for about 25 people. It included a review of basic principles, updates on pending CIPA and meeting room court cases, and brief presentations on youth and children's access, DOPA, labeling, and privacy and confidentiality issues.

Marilyn Irwin and Doug Archer also presented “Intellectual Freedom Basics for Schools” to a small audience (less than a dozen) at the Association of Indiana Media Educators' Annual Conference in Indianapolis, IN on November 6, 2006.

I (EH) have one planned for April of 2007 at an ILF Small and Medium Size Libraries Conference on patron confidentiality and behaviour.

Doug and Edie along with other members of the ILF's IFC (including Marilyn Irwin, IU SLIS, Indianapolis) and Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Deputy Director of ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom presented the following "Law for Indiana Librarians" conference-within-a-conference during ILF's Annual Conference in Indianapolis, November 14, 2007.

Deborah led sessions 1 and 2 and served as resource person for the entire event.

The ILF IFC also sponsored a panel on Thursday morning, the 15th, titled "You Put What on MySpace?! Changing Views of Privacy and Confidentiality." Deborah, Chris Charles (a senior communications major at Purdue University), and Doug constituted the panel.

Attendance at the various sessions ranged from a dozen to almost 150 persons.

Doug led two "Law for Indiana Librarians" events at ILF District Conferences, one at the District Four Conference (Northeastern Indiana) with approximately 35 attendees on April 24 in Albion and an updated, repeat performance of last year's session at the District One Conference (Northwestern Indiana) with approximately 25 attendees in South Bend, on April 22.

Iowa

Two more Law for Librarians workshops are planned in 2008, one for the Northwest Iowa Library Service Area, Sioux City, and another for the Central Iowa Library Service Area. Given the excellent reception for the Law for Librarians workshops presented last year, these ought to be terrific events.

At the Iowa Library Association annual conference held last October, the keynote address and concurrent sessions by author Chris Crutcher were standing room only, as was another concurrent session, "Intellectual Freedom 101." It's clear that Iowa librarians are continuing the state's long support of, and interest in, issues of intellectual freedom.

Update: 3/30/07. The first of the IF Workshops at our regional library systems was this morning and it got very good reviews. Topics we dealt with were challenges (including selection policies and reconsiderations forms), successful Internet policies, PATRIOT and meeting rooms. Had a fair number of trustees present and they seemed to get a lot out of the workshop.

Intellectual freedom is riding a wave in Iowa this year. We also have Chris Crutcher as the keynote speaker at the Fall Iowa Library Association conference in Iowa City (that took a little work and a couple of connections) and a major IF concurrent session during the conference.

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

On Sunday, September 17 at the 2006 Maine Libraries Conference at the Augusta Civic Center in Maine, Melora Ranney Norman presented a program on Meeting and Exhibit Room Policies using June Pinnell-Stephens' PowerPoint presentation on the subject. I handed out paper copies of the PowerPoint along with copies of the relevant policies from Alaska libraries and ALA documents including the LBOR, the LBOR interpretations on meeting rooms and exhibits, and some excerpts from relevant laws.

Maryland

April 20, 2006. Presentation to the Maryland Association of Public Library Administrators on plans to implement in Maryland what was learned at the "Law for Librarians" conference in Chicago.

May 2, 2007. "Can the KKK Meet In The Library? Law for Library Administrators" preconference, Maryland Library Association 2007 annual conference. Can a religious group use the meeting room? Is it a good idea to label parts of the collection according to genre? This presentation by Carrie Gardner and Daniel Mach was well-received by the library administrators in attendence. The overall ratings were 4+ (on a 5 point scale). The 'big ticket" piece of information that attendees carried away was the importance of having policies in place.

May 2, 2007. "What Is This Filth? Law for Front Line Library Staff" preconference, Maryland Library Association 2007 annual conference. 21 attendees. The presenters for the morning portion of the preconference were Carrie Gardner and Steve Anderson of the Maryland State Law Library. They discussed the topics of privacy and confidentiality and rights of youth access to library materials. Mary Somers and Monica McAbee reprised their popular program "Defending Access With Confidence", based on the training program developed by Catherine Lord. Evaluations were positive for this preconference as well. Along with the perennial "concerns" of a too-cold room and a too-short lunch break were some very positive feedback items. Carrie Gardner's presentation was especially praised. The interactive format of the afternoon workshop portion on "Defending Access" was appreciated.

For the future: Mary and Monica will definitely be taking their show on the road. Carrie Gardner has also been preliminarily contacted about doing a fall 2007 program on Youth Access to Library materials.

October 11, 2006. "Pornography and the Interent" during the Michigan Library Association 2006 Annual Conference. A 75 minute program featuring a lawyer summarizing applicable law and court cases followed by brief presentations by an academic librarian and a public librarian on their practical experience protecting First Amendment rights in the face of complaints from other patrons.

October 12, 2006. "Keep It On the Shelf: Diffusing Situations Involving Patron Challenges" during the Michigan Library Association 2006 Annual Convention. A 75 minute program showcasing tips and strategies from school and public librarians on coping with challenges, conducting hearings, and handling sensitive censorship situations.

April 27, 2007. "Street Legal for Patron Record Privacy: Federal and Michigan Law After the Revised USA Patriot Act" This was a full day workshop of overviews presented by six practicing lawyers and/or law school professors. The topics covered in these presentations were, "Library Privacy Considerations under Michigan and Federal Law", "USA Patriot Act: the Federal Challenge to Library Privacy", "Overview of Federal Laws on Electronic Evidence Gathering in Criminal Cases", "Internet Access Policies Under the Library Privacy Act and CIPA", and "Requests for Documents: Policy and Procedure".

PLANNED: Spring 2008 full day workshop tentatively titled, "Porn, Policies and PR". One-half of the day will be a lawyer summarizing current, applicable law and court decisions and the practicalities of creating and implementing library policy and practice implementing that law. A journalist will speak to attendees over lunch about concerns for the impact of Internet pornography on First Amendment freedoms. The bulk of the afternoon is media relations and/or crisis management training conducted by a media relations specialist. A reactor panel comprised of a public, an academic, and a school librarian who have experienced media interest in an internet pornography issue closes the day.

PLANNED: A 2008 Michigan Library Association Annual Conference program on patron data and transaction data security issues arrising from the growing availability of library catalogs and other resources through wireless access.

Representatives from the Minnesota Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee (me), the Minnesota Coalition Against Censorship, and the ACLU-Minnesota came together to discuss issues highlighted at the "Law for Librarians" conference. In this 2-hour special session, they discussed privacy and confidentiality issues in rural libraries, the importance of having well-thought-out written policies regardless of library size, and what to do when the media comes calling. Approximately 30 people attended this event.

Children's author, Lisa Westberg Peters, discussed her personal encounters with censorship. After being invited to speak at several schools, Ms. Peters was asked at the last minute not to talk about her book, "Our Family Tree: An Evolution Story," which won the Minnesota Book Award for Children's Nonfiction.

Mississippi

October 26, 2006. "Law for Librarians: A Preview" A two-hour program session sponsored by the MLA Intellectual Freedom Committee at the MLA Annual Conference in Tunica MS.

Fall 2006. Law for Librarians pdf documents "First Amendment and Libraries" and "Internet, CIPA, and Sexual Harassment" (both by Theresa Chmara, 2006) were used in two University of Southern Mississippi School of Library & Information Science online courses, LIS651 Introduction to Information Science and LIS664 Government Publications. In addition, these two documents were posted to the SLIS community website for access by faculty and students for purposes of education.

February 2008. Four workshops on "Ethics at the Desk" will be presented at four different public libraries around the state by Tracy Carr Seabold. Topics will include privacy, intellectual freedom, dealing with challenges, and user behavior.

October 5, 2006. "Libraries and the Law: How the First Amendment Affects Your Policies, Programs and Services." A program sponsored by the MLA Intellectual Freedom Committee at the MLA Annual Conference in Columbia MO.Missouri

Follow-up report on challenge to graphic novels at the Marshall MO Public Library. Missouri 2

Plans underway for Collection Development Program at 2007 MLA Conference in Springfield MO, October 2-5, 2007 (Posted April 3, 2007). Missouri 5

"Teens, Privacy and Online Social Networks" is a new report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project issued April 18, 2007.
(Posted May 4, 2007). Missouri 6

October 3, 2007: 2:15-3 p.m. "First Amendment and Collection Development: Designing Policies and Procedures That Are Inclusive, Responsive and Transparent." A program sponsored by the MLA Intellectual Freedom Committee at the MLA Annual Conference in Springfield MO. Updated October 14, 2007.
Missouri 7

Check out the MLA Intellectual Freedom Committee's page on the Missouri Library Association website at [2]

2007 Nebraska Library Association/Nebraska Educational Media Association Conference in Kearney, October 24-26. The IF Committee sponsored two programs: Media Relations included a panel of folks representing television, newspaper and radio; and the Legal Director for ACLU Nebraska presented the second program on their activities and issues as they corrolate with libraries.

2007 Launched an Intellectual Freedom blog (www.nlaif.blogspot.com)that the IF Committee hopes to be able to update more often. We're trying to include legal library scenarios involving intellectual freedom with a cooperating Nebraska attorney. http://nlaif.blogspot.com

2007 Collaborated with AFCON (Academic Freedom Coalition of Nebraska) and ACLU Nebraska on Banned Book Week activities, public programs and promotion. It included One State One Banned Book - statewide reading project. One State One Banned Book was kicked off by a Nebraska Governor's proclamation.

Intellectual Freedom program at May 2007 NLA Spring Meetings at four sites across the state: Alliance, Kearney, Norfolk and Lincoln. Adam Prochaska, Attorney with Harding & Shultz (Lincoln) and Brenda Ealey (NLA IF Chair) provided information on free speech issues that effect libraries and discussion with attendees concerning real-life library intellectual freedom situations. Nebraska Library Association Public Library Section helped fund a major portion of the costs in doing this program at 4 sites.

2006 Candace Morgan, Lawyers for Libraries & Freedom to Read Foundation, kicked off IF discussion with a session at the NLA Annual conference in Omaha on October 27th. Nebraska Library Commission funded this program.

Nevada

August 17, 2006. "Patriot Act." A program presented at the Nevada Library Association 2006 Conference held in North Las Vegas (NV).

October 4, 2007. "Access Denied." At the Nevada Library Association meeting held in Carson City, Nevada, three speakers addressed issues relating to access to government information and took questions from the audience. Their topics included removal of information from the Web, FOIA, and the closing of federal libraries.

New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Library Association is presenting as part of its Fall Conference on November 2nd, The Ps and Qs of Talking to the Press: how to handle unsolicited questions from the press with poise, preparation, and plenty of pauses. Mary Ahlgren and the rest of the NH IFC will use suggestions from the Law for Librarians conference and the new IFC manual to generate discussion among the attendees.

New Jersey

New Mexico

Programs:

October 13, 2006: "Developing an Internet Use Policy: the 1st Amendment, Libraries and the Internet." 1-hour program at the New Mexico Library Association Mini Conference, 15 attendees (5 turned away for lack of space).

October 25, 2006: "Intellectual Freedom, Libraries and Legislation." 45-minute presentation to the League of Women Voters at their "Lunch with a Leader" program, 10 attendees.

March 16, 2007: "Policy and Practice: How to Avoid the Nasty Bits." Co-sponsored with MPLA at Joint NMLA/MPLA Conference, 50 attendees.

October 12, 2007: "Speaking out at the Crossroads: how to be a library advocate and get your message heard!" 1 hour program at the New Mexico Library Association Mini Conference, 15 attendees.

Other Activities

The Board of the New Mexico Library Association voted to establish a separate Intellectual Freedom Committee at the Annual Meeting in March 2007. The IF Committee had been part of the Legislation Committee. Now with our own team we are able to forge ahead!

Future Activities

Working on a web page for the NMLA website, to be launched at the NMLA Annual Conference in April 2008. Developing a half-day pre-conference for the NMLA Annual Conference in April 2008. Conducting a training needs assessment for members in order to develop regional workshops to be presented 2008-2009.

I am working on two other presentations, one on intellectual freedom and one on privacy, for our member libraries. At this time I do not have dates for these. I will let you know as soon as I have more information. I am thinking that these presentations may be done as interactive web conferences.

Meeting with Representatives from four state Regional Library Systems to present and review material received at Law for Librarians. Each representative received a complete packet of information, including CD, courtesy of OLC (Ohio Library Council).

Date: July 13

Time: 10 - 3

Number of Attendees: 10

Evaluation of Success: Regional Libraries, state library and Ohio Library Council positioned to work together to raise awareness of Law for Librarians material and offer sessions on the various modules throughout the state as the need arises. Plan to concentrate on making sessions available at Library staff in-service days.

Intellectual Freedom Committee, Ohio Library Council
Meeting with current IF committee to present and review material received at Law for Librarians. Each IF member received complete packet of information, including CD.

Date: July 28

Time: 10 - 3

Number of Attendees: 8

Evaluation of Success: State IF members plan to incorporate material into existing presentations and create at least one new session for spring State Chapter conferences. Long-term plan is to create presentations to fill an IF track at biannual statewide conferences.

Oklahoma

March 6, 2007 - "1st Amendment -- It's not just for adults!"
A full day workshop on youth rights to information access - presented by Dr. Carrie Gardner for the Oklahoma Library Association.

April 4, 2007 - "John Doe Ungagged" Four Connectict librarians vs. the USA PATRIOT ACT!
Hear from three of the librarians who were served a National Security letter from the FBI. Listen to them explain how the USA PATRIOT Act took away their constitutional right of free speech. Presented at the Oklahoma Library Assocation's 100th Anniversary Conference.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education Office of Commonwealth Libraries and the Pennsylvania Department of Education sponsored two all-day programs on Law for Librarians. They were held in Harrisburg on October 31, 2006 and in Pittsburgh on November 8, 2006. There were a total of 230 school, public and academic librarians in attendance. The programs were very popular and many participants stated that more such sessions are needed. The agenda was as follows:

Dr. Carrie Gardner is an assistant professor of Library and Information Science at Catholic University of America. Attorney J. Bruce Walter has attended ALA's Lawyers for Libraries program and is a public library trustee. Jan O'Rourke is the chair of the Pennsylvania Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee. Diana Megdad and Matt Kane are advisors with the Office of Commonwealth Libraries.

In 2007 several half-day workshops were held based on Law for Librarians materials. In September Matt Kane presented programs to public librarians in Johnstown and State College, PA, on the topic of meeting rooms and display cases and the First Amendment. Matt Kane and Jim Hollinger, the Director of the Bureau of Library Development at the office of Commonwealth Libraries, presented a program in October in Warren, PA, on the topic Library Policies. In each of the meetings the discussion was lively and librarians went away with the intention of updating their policies to take into account recent court rulings. The total attendance for all the meetings was approximately 55 people.

The HELIN Consortium Access Services Committee sponsored a workshop entitled “Privacy and Confidentiality in the Library” on March 23, 2007 held at Bryant University Library. The speakers were Carla Weiss, Rhode Island College, and Jim Teliha, University of Rhode Island, both members of the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Rhode Island Library Association.

The Intellectual Freedom Committee is sponsoring a program for the Association's annual conference, June 5-6, 2008: "New Rules for New Spaces: Intellectual Freedom in the Age of Social Software," which will be presented by Jessamyn West, Randolph (Vermont) Tech Career Center.

The Intellectual Freedom Committee plans to publish in 2008 the 6th edition of the Intellectual Freedom Handbook for the Rhode Island Library Association.

South Carolina

South Dakota

The South Dakota Library Association sent a lawyer to the Lawyers for Libraries workshop in November, 2007. He will present a workshop at the 2008 SDLA Annual conference in Chamberlain, SD. This workshop will help libraries understand the laws that may effect libraries and how to write or update their policies.

South Dakota's Attorney General created a task force on open government [3] and this group includes media, law enforcement, government officials, legislators and others. The group has worked for over a year to come to a common understanding and write new open government legislation. Members of the task force had a panel discussion at the 2007 SDLA annual conference. The group has proposed four new laws. SDLA has been working with South Dakotans for Open Government [4] (SDOG) on these new laws.

Todd Quinn will present an overview of Intellectual Freedom issues at the Library Training Institute on June 8, 2007. The Library Training Institute [5] is a four-year program of continuing education for library practitioners, support staff and trustees of small public libraries. No prior formal library science education, or previous college attendance, is required to attend. The Institute is coordinated by the South Dakota State Library.

The South Dakota Library Association has been a member of the board of [6] South Dakotans for Open Government (SDOG) since 2005. SDOG will hold a session on open government at the SDLA annual conference (October 17-18, 2007).

"Law for Librarians" presentation at South Dakota Library Association, September 21, 2006.

Tennessee

November 3, 2006. "Up for the Challenge: Be Prepared at Your School Library/Media Center" Program held at the annual conference of the Tennessee Association of School Librarians on November 3, 2006. Covered practical information useful in dealing with library materials challenges in schools, policies and reconsideration forms, including a discussion of the Intellectual Freedom issues and case law that support our freedom to read. Presented by Dr.Carrie Gardner, Assistant Professor, Catholic University of America. Sponsored by the Tennessee Library Association.

Texas
Training activities covering procedures for dealing with materials challenges were held for the Alamo Area Library System in May 2006 and in conjuction with the Annual Meeting of the Northeast Texas Library System in June 2006. In addition, the TLA Intellectual Freedom Committee sponsored two programs during the 2007 Annual Conference in San Antonio: "Robie Harris and Librarians - Freedom to Write and Read" and "Are We There Yet: A Road Map for Dealing with Materials Challenges."
On October 10, 2006, the first of several planned Law for Librarians training opportunities was held via videoconference. The title was Internet, CIPA, and Sexual Harassment. Information was provided about: Internet, Unprotected Speech, CIPA, DOPA, Filters, Sexual Harassment, and Internet Safety Policies. Nine remote locations participated in the broadcast. More than 90 individuals preregistered to attend. We are still waiting on actual attendance numbers and evaluations at this time.

Over the next two years, additional Law for Librarian training opportunities were planned. The following is a tentative schedule of upcoming events:

Topics: Religious Issues; Youth Access; Labels and Rating Systems; and Meeting Rooms
Date range: February - May 2007
Format: Face-to-face workshop (in-person)
To be held in at least 10 locations around the state

Plans are underway to offer a "Law for Librarians" training in conjunction with the 2007 Utah Library Association Annual Conference to be held May 16-18 in Provo, Utah. An attorney from ACLU-Utah will be the main speaker addressing important legal issues for libraries that should guide services and policy development (First Amendment, Patriot Act, CIPA, Privacy, etc.). This will be followed by small group break out discussions on how to deal with difficult scenarios in libraries, with the solutions to be critiqued by our attorney speaker and all participants.

We may also include the play developed in Montana "Invasion of the Privacy Snatchers" or a modified version of it. Thanks Montana colleagues for sharing it!

We will soon be posting the ULA IFC "Intellectual Freedom Manual and Action Guide" on our ULA web site: www.ula.org. This publication is intended to be used in local libraries to guide policy development and train staff, trustees, and administrators. We are updating other parts of the ULA IFC web site as well. This updating is greatly needed!

We are also working on developing another IF training to be offered in Utah later in 2007 or early in 2008.

Vermont"First Amendment for Librarians" workshop presented at the Brown Public Library, Northfield, VT on July 28, seven in attendance. Another workshop, "Foundations of the First Amendment", covering the same material with an historical overview, is scheduled for May 8 in Stowe. The workshop will be given late summer/early fall also.

Virginia

On November 10, 2006 the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Virginia Library Association sponsored a session at the annual conference of the VLA titled "Challenges to Library Resources--How to Prepare and Respond." The session was a panel moderated by Paul Rittelmeyer, co-chair of the IFC, and included Madelyn Wessel, a lawyer from the University of Virginia, and Susan Thornily, Coordinator of Library Information Services from the Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools. Ms. Wessel is the Special Advisor to the University Librarian at UVa and is quite knowledgable in First Amendment law and issues facing libraries. Ms. Thornily, in her experience in Fairfax County, has faced many challenges to books in the school libraries, and has developed policies that do not discourage challenges, but make them more manageable for the librarians. Over forty people attended even though it was the final session on the final day of the conference, and the weather was beautiful. The audience enjoyed the many handouts we had available, and the evaluations indicated the session was quite useful.

Washington

WLA Annual Conference, April 18-21, 2007

April 19: "Intellectual Freedom Challenges: Stories from the Frontlines" A public library director and a school librarian describe what it was like to deal with a major challenge over an issue of access in their own libraries. Bruce Ziegman and Eve Datisman describe the issues that were raised, tactics and pressures used in efforts to limit access, and librarian responses, including lessons learned during the process.

April 20: "Net Neutrality" Jonathan Franklin (attorney, University of Washington law librarian, and Law for Librarians participant) presented an overview of net neutrality--what it means, why it's important to understand it, and how it can affect libraries and the issue of intellectual freedom.

Catherine Lord has presented the following workshops for library staff and board members in Washington state:

- 'Intellectual Freedom: Responding to Challenges' for: King County Library System on November 24, 2006, March 2, 2007

- 'Defending Access with Confidence' all-day training for: Kitsap Regional Library System, spring and summer each year in 2006, 2007, and planned for 2008; King County Library System on November 8, 2007

- 'Intellectual Freedom in Public Libraries' for Puyallup Library Board members in spring of 2007

- 'Defending Access with Confidence: History, Philosophy and Policies' for Pierce County Library, January 18, 2008 and February 29 2008 (two half-day sessions each day)

In addition, Catherine is now co-teaching her third 'Intellectual Freedom' course at the University of Washington I-School with Angelina Benedetti, Manager of Collection Services at King County Library System. Catherine and Angie have taught library school students in both traditional classroom formats and in distance education format.

West Virginia

Wisconsin
November 2, 2006: presented "Intellectual Freedom: From Principles to Best Practices" to about 35 individuals.
Developed new Intellectual Freedom Round Table web pages, with links to ALA and state of Wisconsin resources.

October 16, 2007: Half-day Preconference featuring Judith Krug, plus time for facilitated discussion round tables. About 30 registered for the pre-conference. Judith also presened a program on Wednesday, October 17 on breaking news in IF.

Plans for the 2008 conference are just getting underway, but the Intellectual Freedom Round Table of WLA always plans a few programs on current IF issues. Privacy could be a big one to cover this year, given the changes in the state statutes relating to disclosure of library records in publicly funded libraries. Another bill related to disclosure of records was set to be introduced in this legislative session, but it probably will be on hold until the next session.

We have two programs for the Mountain Plains Library Association conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, March 15, 2007. The first is a talk by Kansas Law Professor Michael Hoefinch entitled: "Libraries and Privacy in the Post 9/11 Era>"

The second is a workshop entitled: Policy and Practice: "How to Avoid the Nasty Bits."

New England

"Don't Get Sued: Meeting Room & Display Policies that Work" This program was offered at the 2006 New England Library Association annual conference in Burlington, VT on Sunday, October 22; it was sponsored by the NELA IFC and supported by some of the New England participants at the Law for Librarians. Discussion of issues raised by the recent Contra Costa case took place; June Pinnell-Stephens' PowerPoint on exhibits was briefly reviewed, and relevant LBOR documents distributed.